Happy National Women Physician's Day The Legacy of the "Cracked Door" As we approach National Women Physicians Day , it’s time to take stock of our progress. My journey into medicine was shaped by my mother. She encouraged me to become a physician because, for her generation, that door was only cracked open. Her encouragement carried both hope and the "unfinished business" of a woman denied the opportunity. Today, that door is wide open. Women now make up over 50% of medical

I get asked this question a lot: “How do you do all the things that you do?” People usually mean it as a compliment. What they’re really saying is that, from the outside, it looks like I must be exceptional  at time management. Here’s the honest truth — and one that might surprise you: Sometimes, I’m not. I still have weeks where my calendar is too full. I still say yes to things I shouldn’t. I still catch myself stacking commitments on top of already-full days because part o

Recently, my family spent some time in New York City because my youngest had the opportunity to participate in a special dance session. My husband and I had never taken our girls there before, and we thought this would be the perfect chance for them to experience something new. We both remember our first trips to New York vividly—Times Square, the bright lights, the sheer diversity of people, the history, the theater. It felt electric. Transformative. We were sure our girls w

A year ago, I wrote a blog post called This is the Weekend I Don't Work That title is still true. There is one weekend every year that I do not schedule shifts, pick up coverage, or convince myself that I can push through “just this once.” That boundary exists because of what that weekend holds. Years ago—long before I ever wrote about it—I was working multiple shifts during that same weekend. I ended those shifts by rushing my mother to the hospital after she had a stroke. W

If you’ve ever tried to change anything —exercise, boundaries, your schedule, how often you say yes—you probably know about Quitting Day. It’s the day motivation wears off.It ’s the day the pager goes off early, a kid gets sick, a meeting runs long, or you fall behind and think, See, this is why I can’t do this. And in medicine, Quitting Day tends to show up fast. Not because you lack discipline or grit.But because you’re trying to layer change on top of a system that is alre

The last week of the year moving into the new year carries certain weight. The New Year Can Shine a Light Even if you’re still seeing patients, answering emails, or keeping things afloat at home, there’s a natural pause in the air. Something is ending. Something else is about to begin. For many healthcare professionals, that pause invites reflection—but reflection often turns harsh. A mental list of everything that didn’t get done, every boundary that slipped, every goal that

Counting down to the end of the year is always a mixed bag. On the surface, it’s supposed to be joyful. Holidays. Celebrations. Time with people you love. A natural pause before the calendar turns over. But for many of us—especially those in demanding careers like healthcare—it’s also one of the most exhausting stretches of the entire year. There’s the mental gymnastics of trying to honor everyone’s holiday. The scramble to make it to the school concert that is always  schedu

If you’ve worked in healthcare long enough, you’ve heard it: “Just let it go.” After a mistake. After a conflict. After a decision you didn’t agree with. After something unfair, unkind, or unsafe. It’s meant to comfort. But for many physicians, it does the opposite. When ‘letting it go’ feels impossible For years, every time someone told me “let it go,”  I felt my face heat up. Not because I was angry at them — but because I was suddenly angry at myself. I thought: “I must be

Every year, like clockwork, we hit reset. January 1 arrives and suddenly we believe this is the moment . The fresh start. The perfect time to redesign our lives, commit to a brand-new version of ourselves, and finally follow through on the promises we made last January 1… that didn’t quite stick. We set resolutions full of hope and determination — to sleep more, eat better, exercise consistently, meditate daily, keep up with charting, stop taking work home, finally say “no” m

There’s something about this time of year that feels… full.Not just our schedules — but our homes, our inboxes, our brains. The holiday season brings joy, connection, celebration — and also gifts, decorations, travel logistics, end-of-year deadlines, school events, performance reviews, and a sprinkling of “Oh no… did I forget ___?” every few hours. It’s a lot. Clutter is more than a mess - its pressure And if you’re a healthcare professional, the season doesn’t come with time

The end of the year comes with a certain script.We’re told it’s the season of joy, celebration, gratitude, and togetherness. Streets light up, holiday music plays everywhere you go, and every commercial insists you should be happily baking cookies or exchanging perfectly wrapped gifts with smiling family members. But if you work in healthcare, you know there’s another version of this season—one that rarely makes it into the holiday movies. It’s the time of year when stress le

When I decided to change jobs, I heard the same refrain over and over again: “But that doesn’t sound like you.”“Are you sure this will make you happy?”“You’ve been there so long—why leave now?” People couldn’t understand why I was willing to walk away from a role I had held for years. To them, the job title, the institution, and the stability defined who I was. But what they didn’t see was that I  had changed—quietly, slowly, and steadily—while trying my best to stay loyal to

A recent family trip reminded me that even the best-laid plans—and the clearest visions—don’t always go the way we expect. And sometimes, that’s exactly what we need. Every year, my daughters, my mom’s best friend (who has long since become an honorary grandmother in our family), and I take an annual amusement park trip. Over the years, we’ve alternated between some of the major theme parks in Florida, collecting memories and laughter along the way. This year started like the

I was recently listening to a new song where the singer describes how this unnamed person’s obsession with her is “actually romantic”—that she views the attention as flattering. It’s written about a broken relationship, which migh be friendship or romantic. As I listened, I couldn’t help hearing it differently. The theme of being seen, judged, and defined by someone else’s fixation felt strikingly familiar to another kind of relationship: the ones we navigate at work. In medi

Why I Chose This Month to Launch The Hidden Load Podcast Some months hold stories we’d rather not revisit. They carry memories that linger — of loss, of exhaustion, of moments that quietly reshaped who we are.For years, October was that month for me. As someone who helps others move from burnout to balance, I spend a lot of time talking about what we carry — the visible responsibilities and the invisible emotional weight beneath them. But even those of us who teach these tool

One of the questions I get asked every time I take a new role is, “How is this going to impact your patient care?” More specifically: “How will you feel about seeing fewer patients?”“Are you going to miss patient care?” And honestly, those are great questions. They come from a place of understanding just how central patient care is to why many of us entered medicine in the first place. It’s where we find connection, meaning, and the daily sense that what we do matters. So whe

This week, I’m gathered with family physicians from across the country. We’re here to talk about the needs of our specialty, to share...

Last week was one of those weeks that reminded me just how chaotic life can get. My husband was traveling, which meant it was just me and...

One of the hardest things I’ve had to manage — as both a physician and as a mom — is control. More specifically, learning how to let go...

Sometimes life lines up in a way that feels almost too good to be true. Flights run on time, connections are seamless, and an idea that...